Please arrive at least 15 minutes before your class time to allow appropriate time to change and shower before entering the pool. When you arrive, you will be greeted by the pool reception, please let them know your name and that you have an Aquatic Therapy class with Vita Health Group, and they will sign you in. The clinicians will wait poolside to greet you for the class.

The class will run for up to 45 minutes, you may be asked questions relevant to your current function on your first and last class to monitor your progress.

All patients referred to the class are unable to tolerate land-based exercise, it is important to maintain general physical outside of the class to aid recovery. If you have seen a clinician prior to starting the class, they would provide you with land-based exercises that you are welcome to complete at home if comfortable to do so.

You can contact us by email – croydonmskenquiries@vhg.co.uk or by telephone: 020 8187 4280

• A Triage Team will screen all Musculoskeletal (MSK) referrals
• Following referral, individuals will be triaged into one to one appointments or groups. Virtual appointments are also an option, if requested by the patient.
• All details about your appointment will be sent prior to the appointment.

Please call 020 8187 4280 as soon as you know you will be unable to attend an appointment, so that it may be given to other patients. Cancellations must be made at least 24 hours’ prior to the appointment. Should you wish to cancel over the weekend or out of hours, please leave a message on our answering machine. You must contact us within one week to avoid being discharged back to your GP.

Our cancellation policy is intended to avoid unnecessary loss of appointments, which can lead to increased waiting times:

• If you fail to attend your appointment or cancel with less than 24 hours’ notice more than once you will be discharged back to your GP.
• Frequently cancelling your appointments with more than 24 hours’ notice will also lead to being discharged back to your GP.
• If your last appointment was over 12 weeks ago or more, we may ask you for a new referral. This is because your injury may have changed in that time and we will need to re-assess you and create a new treatment plan for you.
• We understand it can sometimes be unavoidable to cancel your appointment and these circumstances will always be considered if you inform us that you are unable to attend. The aim of our policy is to ensure our waiting times are kept to a minimum to benefit all of our patients.

To ensure you are given sufficient time in your appointment for your treatment, if you arrive more than 10 minutes late you may be asked to rebook your appointment.

We deliver a range of NHS services for GPs and Clinical Commissioning Groups. These services are delivered in the community and are aimed at improving patient access and achieving the best possible outcome. We see patients aged 16+. Our services are evidence-based. They are delivered by highly trained, well managed and supported staff, who regularly update their professional development in keeping with best practice guidelines.

Our contract management and monitoring are assured through dedicated Clinical and Commercial leads and true partnership working with Commissioners. We offer the following services:

• Electronic screening and referral management
• Telephone triage and advice service
• Face-to-face Physiotherapy and Rehab Therapy Classes

The location of your appointment should be contained within the confirmation you have received. Directions to all our clinics can be found on our website.

During the class you will carry out an average of a 30–40 minute exercise programme, including a warm up and call down. Following this will be a chance to ask any questions which can include an educational component around covering various topics from how to exercise, to knowing how to manage pain flare ups. The exercise circuit is supervised by a rehab therapist who will check that you are doing the exercises correctly and safely.

ll of the exercises have been chosen as they will work to strengthen yourself in a safe way. However, if you feel that your pain is worsening when doing the exercise class, please tell the therapist. We will be able to tell you if you are doing the exercises right or if they need to be altered.

We aim to provide you with a block of classes. However, if you cannot attend for a week, we cannot guarantee that we can offer you a further class to make up your sessions. We recommend you chose a time to start when you know you are going to be able to make the regular attendance. Most people manage well if they are able to attend all of the sessions.

The exercise class lead will ask you to complete a form signifying if you feel happy and able to self-manage, should you not they will arrange a time to discuss your next steps.

Yes! To get the best results from this programme, you should be doing exercise at home on a regular basis as well. If your physiotherapist gave you some exercises to carry out before the class, continue with these. We also suggest that you add at least one of the exercises taught to you during the class. Try and create a manageable daily routine to follow.

Please wear suitable clothing that is appropriate for an exercise class. Gym or sportswear is probably the best clothing to wear, or something you feel comfortable in that will allow you to move freely.

Please call as soon as you know you will be unable to attend the class and any cancellations must be made at least 24 hours prior. Should you wish to cancel over the weekend or out of hours, please leave a message on our answering machine. Our cancellation policy is intended to avoid unnecessary loss of appointments, which can lead to increased waiting times:

• If you fail to attend your appointment or cancel with less than 24 hours’ notice you will be discharged back to your GP.
• Frequently cancelling your appointments with more than 24 hours’ notice will also lead to being discharged back to your GP.
• If your last appointment was over 12 weeks ago or more, we may ask you for a new referral. This is because your injury may have changed in that time, and we will need to re-assess you and create a new treatment plan for you.
• We understand it can sometimes be unavoidable to cancel your appointment and these circumstances will always be considered if you inform us that you are unable to attend.

Contact us on 020 8187 4280

Vita Health Group work together with health professionals such as your GP or Consultant. This can include sharing information about you to make sure the care you are given is the best, is right for you and meets your needs. You are able to opt out of us sharing your information. The Government has emphasised the importance of security and confidentiality in relation to personal information and has strengthened the legislation and guidance in this area, in particular through the Data Protection Act 1998. More information on how we manage your information is available here. You have the rights to access your clinical notes.

If you have any special requirements please notify our team at the time of booking. If you have already booked your appointment then please call our team on the number below in advance of your appointment. If you require a chaperone please inform us in advance so that we can arrange this for you.

Please wear (or bring to change into) suitable clothing that allows the physiotherapist to effectively examine your injury (the body part to be treated needs to be accessible). Shorts, vest top or other similar attire generally work well in the clinics.

No. The treatment you receive is via the NHS so no payment is required from you.

The physiotherapist will take a detailed history and then do an examination using a number of recognised tests to try to establish the nature of your problem. They will then begin treatment with you or advise you on the best course of action. This will often include a series of exercises and other self-management advice to help you recover. It is important that you follow this advice because our experience tells us that the patients who follow their plans generally respond better to treatment.

If you would like to share feedback or raise a particular issue about your treatment or care please contact us on feedback@vhg.co.uk, detailing your contact details and a summary of your feedback. One of our team will be in touch to discuss this with you.

Alternatively, you can contact the Care Quality Commission by clicking here.

Please arrive in good time before your appointment to change into some suitable clothing if needed. Please bring any relevant information that you think the physiotherapist may find useful e.g. x-ray results, letters from consultants, medical reports etc. Your appointments will last up to 30 minutes so please allow enough time for your assessment and treatment.

Your therapist will explain to you on your first session the process of therapy and the treatment protocol you have been triaged for. The therapist will discuss confidentiality, our discharge and attendance policy and there will be time for you to voice any questions regarding these. You can choose to consent or decline a treatment if you so wish.

Vita Health Group is committed to safeguarding all vulnerable patients who access our services. We work together with our partner organisations to safeguard vulnerable adults and children from all forms of abuse, neglect and exploitation. In line with Care Quality Commission (CQC), Fundamental Standards 2015, people who use services will be protected from abuse, or the risk of abuse, and their human rights respected and upheld.

If you would like to bring a supportive person to your initial session, please inform administration of this in advance of your appointment.

Vita Health Group work together with health professionals such as your GP or Consultant. This can include sharing information about you to make sure the care you are given is the best, is right for you and meets your needs. You are able to opt out of us sharing your information. The Government has emphasised the importance of security and confidentiality in relation to personal information and has strengthened the legislation and guidance in this area, in particular through the Data Protection Act 2018.  We only use your data for treatment purposes and records are kept securely for 8 years.